Charles and I first crossed paths in Kentucky on travel nursing assignments, living that on-the-go, night-and-day-shift life. One evening, as I was wrapping up day three out of five of my shift, Charles strolled in a solid 45 minutes late for his night shift. I was on the day shift, and he was on night shift then. Annoyed? Maybe just a little—but something about his silly, nonchalant attitude and that contagious smile made an impression on me. For the rest of the week, we passed reports and joked through handovers. We kept bumping into each other around the unit and hanging out in groups. Then, one evening, a friend invited Charles to join us for dinner (without me knowing). He surprised me by showing up, and just when I thought he’d leave, destiny had other plans—his truck wouldn’t start, so he was forced to stay with me and my friends, and we talked for hours. After that, we were inseparable. We talked daily, finding an undeniable connection that seemed so natural, and something between us just clicked. Fast forward to August 1st, 2024. Charles took me to Forest Park in STL, a place he holds close to his heart, and asked me to be his wife, best friend, and partner for life. Now, here we are, engaged and ready for our next adventure—together, this thing called life.